


The Coffee Nook

by Zooobly



Category: Ever Dark - Raythe Reign, Raythe Reign Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Raythe Reign Discord Valentines Day Event
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29408376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zooobly/pseuds/Zooobly
Summary: Daemon didn't think taking cover in the quaint little café would impact his life all that much beyond getting out of the storm. He was wrong. Enter Julian Harrow.Christian had kept his heart safe behind a wall that only his parents and his best friend were ever able to get through. But Balthazar had bypassed all of his defenses and wormed into his heart.Written for the Raythe Reign Discord Valentines Day Event
Relationships: Christian Thorne/Balthazar Ravenscroft | Eyros, Julian Harrow/Daemon | The Vampire King
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	1. Most Lovely Purple

**Author's Note:**

> Just a nice little handwaved coffee shop AU. No angst, no drama and apparently no war? Please don't ask me any details about the universe or timeline because I have decided that those things are meaningless and do not exist!  
> There are no outright spoilers in here, but as my sister, who beta read this for me, so eloquently put it: "I do not get most of this, but it's nice!" So, some knowledge of Ever Dark is needed to enjoy it to its fullest extent!  
> Happy Valentines Day <3

“Welcome to The Coffee Nook! What can I get you?”

The baristas voice was cheery and bright, a stark contrast to the weather outside. February had come with rain and wind and a veritable storm was raging outside. Daemon had ducked inside the cosy little café to escape the elements and the view that greeted him reinforced his decision as a good one. A tall young man stood behind the counter, with short dark hair, a five-o-clock shadow and blue eyes. In his mind red swirled into them, making them the most lovely purple. He shook his head to dispel the vision. It couldn’t be.

“Good evening,” Daemon said with a smile. He glanced up at the chalkboard menu above the baristas head. “ I’ll take a hazelnut latte, please. And a slice of the banana-nut bread.”

“Coming right up! Can I get a name for the order?”

“My name’s Daemon. D-A-E-M-O-N.”

The young man – Julian, according to his name tag – raised an eyebrow.

“Red eyes, spooky name, you’re not a demon, by any chance?”

A chuckle emerged from Daemon’s throat, low and seductive.

“Not a demon, no.” He shook his head in amusement and smiled at Julian.

“Right,” Julian said, his eyebrow still near his hairline in scepticism. “Well, Mr. Demon, your coffee will be ready in just a moment.”

Daemon watched as Julian got busy behind the counter with a smile and made his way to one of the small circular tables. Two iron-wrought chairs sat on either side of it, the round seats home to red cushions. The café was almost empty at this time of day, shortly before closing time. It was already after six and with the sun already set, most people tended to spend the evening of Valentine’s Day in fancy restaurants, the theatre or at home with their significant other. Oh, how he wished he was one of them.

Unbidden, his eyes strayed to Julian. A second young man had appeared from a backroom and was now taking the order of an elderly couple. Daemon couldn’t read his name tag or see his eyes from where he sat, but the young man had blonde hair and creamy skin. He looked like a model, or maybe the inspiration for a Greek statue. Even so, in Daemon’s mind he couldn’t hold a candle to Julian’s beauty. His eyes followed Julian’s every move, watching as he pulled out a plate from an overhead cabinet. His shirt rode up a bit as he stretched to the upper compartment and allowed Daemon a tantalizing glimpse of the smooth skin of Julian’s lower back. When Julian turned back around, Daemon hurriedly averted his eyes. It wouldn’t do to be caught staring. From the corner of his eye, he saw piercing blue eyes staring at him in scrutiny. Christian, the name tag read. He smiled at the young man and nodded to him. Christian gave him another unreadable look before turning his attention back to making coffee.

Daemon’s cell phone vibrating diverted his attention and he fished it out of his coat pocket.

_Are you still in the city? I’m about to head out and Arcius needs someone to go over our security with. -B_

Daemon sighed, but smiled.

_Do you have a date tonight? And I’ll likely not make it anytime soon, took cover in a café. The storm just vanishing might be a bit too noticeable. -D_

Balthazar’s answer was almost instant.

_You can teleport. -B_

_You just don’t want to deal with Arcius in his current mood. Can’t say I blame you, I really hope Fiona comes back soon. -B_

_And yes, if you must know, I do have a date. -B_

Daemon’s smile became just that little bit softer. Eyros deserved someone at his side. He really hoped this date of his might be serious, maybe even serious enough Balthazar would consider making his date his fledgling.

A fledgling… That was something they had in common. Neither of them had ever turned another person, though in Daemon’s case it was not for a lack of trying. Oh, how he longed for a fledgling of his own, someone to love and be loved in return. The last time he had tried was millennia ago, when Balthazar was still Eyros and _had_ taken fledglings. Now, reincarnated and preferring to go by Balthazar, he didn’t remember much of his life with Daemon and the Immortals. Sometimes, Daemon thought that was for the best. His friend didn’t need to remember those years and the violence that had led to his death. The occasional flashbacks or fleeting memories were enough, especially now that they had found each other again. Eyros was the first he had found, but since then it was an avalanche of meetings and recognition. Wyvern, Kaly, Seeyr, even Eyros’ fledgling Elgar had found them. And Daemon had a feeling Weryn and Ashyr would find and join them soon.

“Hazelnut latte for Daemon!”

Julian’s call shook Daemon from his thoughts and he got up to collect his order.

“One hazelnut latte and one slice of banana nut bread. Please enjoy!”

As Daemon took the coffee and the plate, he noticed some writing on the side of the cup. He tapped it with a finger and said with a smile: “And this number? Can I enjoy that, too?”

Julian didn’t blush but his grin widened.

“I sure hope you do! How else will I find out if you’re truly a demon?” he asked with a wink. 

“Not a demon! As I’ve said before…” Daemon chuckled. “I hope you don’t mind a little biting though.”

Now Julian blushed.

“Give me a call, or text me. Or…” He trailed off with a shy smile and nodded in Christian’s direction. “Our shift ends in fifteen minutes. You, uh, could wait for me? We could go for dinner. Or,” he amended with a glance at Daemon’s hands, “we could go watch a movie.”

A warm smile stretched across Daemon’s face. _Blue eyes merging with red…_

Maybe…

Maybe it was time to open his heart again.


	2. Something Wonderful

Christian watched as Julian and the customer – Daemon was the name he had given – talked over the pick-up counter. He had to admit that the red-eyed man was quite attractive and just Julian’s type. But what was up with hot guys and colour-changing contact lenses? His own date for the evening sported silver eyes like liquid mercury. Thinking about Balthazar brought a blush to his face that he fought to dispel. He hadn’t asked yet about the lenses because it wasn’t _that_ weird, but maybe he would later tonight. He sighed and gave up fighting the blush. Balthazar was exactly his type, as Julian had pointed out so helpfully when Christian had first shown him a picture. And it was true. Just a smidge taller than him, with aristocratic features and dark brown hair, Balthazar was definitely a sight to see. The silver eyes didn’t distract from his handsomeness, but rather added to it.

A glance at the clock revealed that it was almost the end of his shift. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, competing with nerves, but at the same time he almost felt giddy. He hadn’t been on a date that he was as serious about as this one in… well, it seemed like forever. Julian was nothing but supportive and had encouraged Christian to give Balthazar a chance.

He saw from the corner of his eye how Daemon smiled at Julian and went back to his table. Julian himself had a dreamy expression on his face. Christian couldn’t help but smile. Maybe both of them could find something special this year.

The time until the end of their shift flew by and soon Katherine came from the back to take over the last half hour until closing. Because they got few if any customers so shortly before closing, Katherine, the owner of the café, took over as barista and handled the closing up. She spend the time while Christian and Julian were there doing inventory or paperwork. It was something of an unusual arrangement but it worked well for them.

Christian met Julian in the back, hanging up his apron and collecting his bag and jacket.

“So, this Daemon. You did give him your number, right?” Christian asked with a teasing smile.

Julian grinned at him.

“Of course! And I sort of have a date, like, right now?”

That dreamy expression was back on his face.

“I’m happy for you,” Christian said, “You deserve someone special in your life. I hope this works out the way you want it to.”

“Thanks, Christian.” Julian flung his arm over his shoulder in a side hug. “But you do too! Balthazar should be here any minute now, right?”

Christian blushed, but smiled and nodded. That giddy feeling was back.

Together they moved back into the front of the shop. A quick look around showed that Balthazar hadn’t arrived yet, but Daemon made his way towards Julian.

He smiled at the two of them and Julian quickly took the chance to introduce them.

“Daemon, this is Christian Thorne, my best friend. Christian, this is Daemon …” he trailed off and smiled a bit awkwardly. “I don’t even know your last name.”

Daemon smiled and pointed out: “I don’t know yours either. It’s King. Daemon King. Very nice to meet you.”

He offered his hand to Christian, who took it with an answering smile.

Just as Christian fumbled for something to say he was saved by the door opening. His eyes immediately found the handsome figure of Balthazar and a smile found its way on his face unbidden.

“Christian! I’m not late, am I? There was more traffic than I thought, probably because of the storm.”

“No, you’re just on time. We just finished our shifts.”

It was in that moment that Christian noticed Daemon watching the exchange with a bemused smile. Balthazar, wanting to see what had caught Christians attention, did an immediate double take.

“Daemon? What- What are you doing here?”

“I stumbled across The Coffee Nook when trying to escape the storm,” Daemon answered, gesturing to the weather outside. “I did not expect to see you here. So Christian here is your mystery date, hm?”

There was a teasing lilt to Daemon’s voice that spoke of familiarity.

Balthazar grinned, somewhere between sheepish and proud, and nodded.

“So, you two know each other?” Julian asked curiously. “I’m Julian, by the way. I’m sure Christian told you about me if the way he talks about you so often is any indication.”

“Oh yes, he talks about you a lot. Says you’re basically his brother. It’s a pleasure to finally put a face to the name.” Balthazar spoke with a welcoming smile and continued answering Julian’s question. “Daemon and I are old friends and he actually currently resides with me.”

“Oh?” Julian raised one eyebrow. “That’s one hell of a coincidence, especially considering Christian and I live together as well.

Balthazar just grinned in a carefree way and said: “Well, makes it easier to organize double dates, no?”

Christian frowned. “How did you know Julian and Daemon were also going on a date? It was a rather spontaneous idea.”

“Oh, he sent me a text he wouldn’t be home because he had a date as well and who else could it be with? I would like to say I know him well enough to tell what it means when he looks at someone like he looks at Julian.” Balthazar smiled at Daemon fondly.

Christian frowned. For some reason that didn’t seem like the full truth but also not quite like a lie. He shook his head and pushed the thought aside. It didn’t feel malicious in any way, more like – an inside joke, maybe? Something between Daemon and Julian that he just didn’t get. Maybe Balthazar would tell him, some day. Christian almost blushed at the thought. Here he was, barely on the third date and already hoping for a future with this man. Julian would say it was a good thing. That not everyone was like _him,_ that he should let Balthazar into his heart and give him an honest chance. As if the man hadn’t already wormed his way around all his defences. It scared him, a bit. To feel so keenly, so strongly, about this man he was only just getting to know. But it also made the butterflies in his stomach go wild every time Balthazar smiled at him.

He could do this. Give him a chance, let him in. And maybe…

Maybe it would lead to something wonderful.


End file.
